Archive for the 'Brooklyn Nets' Tag Under 'Lakers' Category

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Pau Gasol tried on a walking boot but wound up settling for crutches to make his way out of Barclays Center, his girlfriend waiting outside with obvious concern over what could be a serious injury to Gasol's right foot.

Gasol said he felt "a pop" -- an indication that he might have torn his troublesome plantar fascia late in the Lakers' 92-83 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

Such a diagnosis would likely put Gasol out a month or more, although more details will be revealed by an MRI on Wednesday.

Gasol said he was told there are "different degrees of tears. That's what could determine one thing or another and how much time."

Gasol's injury took the shine off one of the Lakers' best victories of the season -- the team overcoming the absences of Dwight Howard with his sore right shoulder and Metta World Peace, suspended one game earlier in the day by the NBA for his incident Sunday in Detroit. Even with Gasol going down as he tried to jump on the foot with four-plus minutes to play, the Lakers persevered for their sixth victory in seven games.

The Lakers lost their first game of this season under Mike Brown in large part because Dwight Howard couldn't make his free throws.

With Howard clanging away again, the final result was different Tuesday night in Mike D'Antoni's first game as Lakers coach.

Kobe Bryant sank six consecutive free throws in the final minute to keep the Lakers ahead of the Brooklyn Nets in a 95-90 victory. The Lakers inched their way to their first winning record in this whirlwind early season: They are now 6-5 as they move on to upcoming games in Sacramento, Memphis and Dallas.

Howard went 7 for 19 (36.8 percent) on free throws and found himself being strategically fouled by the Nets in the fourth quarter. He did have 23 points and 15 rebounds and plenty of help down the stretch from Bryant (25 points).

D'Antoni said he'd still be in bed for another month if he wasn't in this new job as Lakers coach, which gave him the pregame feeling of being "privileged." The ending -- Brooklyn's Deron Williams missed a would-be tying 3-pointer before the buzzer -- wasn't as neat as the vibrant start, which saw D'Antoni's debut as Lakers coach begin with a 10-0 Lakers lead.

Thanks to Ted Stepien-inspired NBA rules changes, the Lakers are handicapped in any attempts to get Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic.

By trading their first-rounders in 2013 and 2015 for Steve Nash, the Lakers can't deal their first-rounders in 2014 and 2016 because of the Stepien rule, which the NBA implemented after the infamous Cleveland Cavaliers owner gave away most of his woeful team's first-rounders in a series of one-sided deals -- one of which brought James Worthy to the Lakers as the first pick in 1982.

Because of Stepien, NBA teams can't make deals which would leave them without first-round picks in consecutive drafts.